Please note that the laws conveyed are the views of the authorities cited in each post, but other authorities may disagree. Please check with your halachic authority.

All points of view are welcome in this forum, if expressed civilly. For personal manifestos, please start your own blog.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Placing a siddur atop a chumash

Hi,

May I elevate a siddur by putting a siddur or chumash beneath it, to aid my davening?

One may never place a siddur or gemara atop a chumash; one may not even place a book of navi (Prophets) atop a chumash. This applies even when doing so temporarily, as in the case of cleaning up a room. [Inclusion in the same bound volume is acceptable according to most authorities, though.]

The above applies even if one stacks these books to enable davening. Even using one siddur to elevate another siddur is prohibited, for this is a function more suited to a block of wood or similar object. Similarly, one may not use a siddur as a bookmark for another siddur.

We treat our sifrei kodesh [sacred texts] with honour, and so give honour to the Torah they contain.

Hi Melech,All of the sources I mention, starting with Megilah 27a, view a scroll/book which includes texts of varying holiness as though it was a combination of separate segments, not a composite. In other words, a siddur containing pirkei tehillim as well as tefillos is viewed as a book of tehillim and a book of tefillos. The only reason this is not a halachic problem is that it is considered "impossible", in the words of the gemara, to include the multiple parts together in a way that will satisfy the hierarchy of kedushah.

Therefore: Where it is possible to satisfy the hierarchy, as in a case of separate books, we are required to do so.